Missouri Botanical Garden

Roses always have been special to the Missouri Botanical Garden. When beginning his botanical garden, founder Henry Shaw wrote a small book on the emblem of his native England, The Rose. "Human art can neither colour nor describe so fair a flower," he wrote in 1882. "[Its] beauty is composed of all that is exquisite and graceful."

Visitors to the Missouri Botanical Garden's two rose displays can feast their eyes on over 2,700 individual plants, encompassing 259 varieties. The Garden is one of 20 official test gardens nationwide where horticulturists conduct growing trials on new roses for two years before they are released to the public. During that time, the Garden's Rosarian observes the plants, measuring color, fragrance and other characteristics before making a recommendation to the All-America Rose Selections (AARS) national headquarters. Gardeners can preview the roses and observe for themselves how the plants perform in this area. Starting in 2009, the AARS has required all test gardens to omit the use of fungicides in each individual test garden. This initiative compliments the Gardens drive toward more sustainable practices.

AARS winners may be seen in the Lehmann and Gladney Rose Gardens one year before they are offered to the public. The winners for 2008, ‘Mardi Gras' and ‘Dream Come True,' are both on display in the Gladney Rose Garden. The current winners for 2009, ‘Pink Promise', ‘Carefree Spirit' and ‘Cinco de Mayo' are all on display in the Gladney Rose Garden.

Peak display for the rose gardens lasts from early summer through autumn.

The Gladney Rose Garden has been in existence since 1917, when it housed many old garden roses. It has evolved over the years to its present giant wagon-wheel shape. About 1,315 roses representing 105 varieties of mainly hybrid tea, shrub and floribunda roses are displayed.

Many varieties of climbing roses are featured on the formal fence and arbors enclosing the garden. The climbers on the fence include test roses from the AARS, which remain for three years and are judged twice each year.

The Garden tries to update the display every year with roses that are highly disease resistant, show high vigor while also being hardy in St. Louis, as well as new and unusual varieties.

The Anne and John Lehmann Rose Garden, established in 1974, has been called the more romantic of the two gardens, with a bushy mix of floribundas, shrub roses and other classifications. It is less formal than the Gladney Rose Garden, and contains about 1,400 roses representing 154 different varieties.

The Lehmann Rose Garden also mixes the delight of aromatic flowering plants and water. The Shapleigh Fountain is set in a circular brick plaza 50 feet in diameter with three curtains of water that rise and fall.

The upper level of the garden contains the Lehmann Gazebo with a fountain and pool, offering a shady respite during peak blooming time. In the spring, thick azaleas in riotous color flank the gazebo.

Edging the first terrace is the Kercheval Pool, a low bubbling fountain. The middle tier contains the All-America Rose Selections Test Garden, where new roses are evaluated in the AARS program. A mix of very fragrant old garden roses, species roses and perennials grow on the lower terrace, showing how roses can be featured among other plants.

The Missouri Botanical Garden's mission is "to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life." Today, 151 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science and conservation, education and horticultural display.

Rev. 2010